Journalism professor Roberto Suro (pictured) was interviewed by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CBS Evening News about the significance of President Barack Obama's choice for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Suro said in a New York Times article that Hispanic appointments mattered less to Hispanic people than issues affecting them directly, such as immigration and the economy.

“There’s not going to be this enormous outpouring of ethnic triumph,” said Suro, adding that Judge Sotomayor’s selection represents one significant step toward recasting the way Hispanics are viewed.

“It’s been easy to connect illegal immigration with Hispanic identity,” he said. ”This puts it in a very different context.”

Suro said in a Wall Street Journal article that the Sotomayor nomination would have symbolic power for Hispanics, and "could be a useful moment" for the president, especially if Republicans resist.

"Whatever political capital the administration may have gained with Latinos will be redoubled if there's a nomination fight," he said. "The Republican Party really has lost a lot of ground with Hispanics."

In a CBS Evening News with Katie Couric segment, Suro discussed Newt Gingrich's allegation that Sotomayor is racist.

"There's the potential that Republican opposition to the nomination will reinforce the feeling that this is a party not sympathetic to Hispanics, potentially even hostile to Hispanics," Suro said.

New York Times article
Wall Street Journal article
CBS Evening News segment